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Ford Ranger Super Duty built for towing.

Rob Fraser

Ford has revealed the Ranger Super Duty. A vehicle that has been developed specifically for heavy duty towing and off-road work.

It’s designed to bridge the gap between the medium duty dual cab Utes currently available and the larger American Pickup trucks.

It comes with a 4500 kg towing capacity and other built tough features.

Ford Ranger Super Duty – Everything you need to know 

What does it look like?

It looks tough. That’s simple.

Featuring 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain light truck tyres, wider track width, and increased ground clearance, Ranger Super Duty commands attention, and has “plenty of presence,” said Max Wolff, head of design, Ford International Markets Group.

The unique bonnet design has chamfered edges, and the leading edge of the bonnet has been stamped with ‘SUPER DUTY.’ The new open-weave mesh grille ensures optimum air flow.

At the front of the truck is a heavy-duty, frame-mounted steel bumper. Which provides enhanced protection to the radiator and headlights in off-road situations.

Attachment points for mounting driving lights are standard. While the front bash plate wraps down from the bumper. Offering impressive, increased approach, rampover and departure angles.

A joint project between Ford Design and Safari, the snorkel is unique to the truck and designed to complement the muscular lines of the front fender. The sealed installation helps raise the air intake height to roof level, providing cooler and cleaner air to the engine.

Look at the vehicle and you’ll no doubt spot the taller mirrors, a requirement as this truck offers a GVM of 4500 kilograms. Taller wing mirrors are essential if the internal rear-view mirror is obscured.

Models available

Available in Australia as either a Single, Super or Double Cab Chassis from launch in 2026.

Ranger Super Duty will also be available as a Double Cab with style-side box in mid-2026.

Available in two trim levels Ranger Super Duty comes in Ranger Super Duty and Ranger Super Duty XLT (arriving mid-2026).

This variant will boast unique alloy wheels and touring-focussed upgrades and will be exclusively available on Double Cab chassis and pick-up variants only.

What is it like inside?

The practical theme carries over to the interior.

Hard wearing cloth seats fabric ensures comfort and functionality.

The glovebox door is embossed with the stamped SUPER DUTY name.

Standard on all variants is a 12-inch infotainment screen with auxiliary switches located in the overhead console.

As a work-oriented vehicle, Ford’s design team wanted to ensure the truck is a partner that makes work easier.

For those customers that need to use a larger screen or device in the cabin, they can install an optional Integrated Device Mounting system on the passenger side of the vehicle for mounting devices up to 4 kilograms.

“Wolff designed the available Integrated Device Mounting system to clear the passenger airbag zone and prevent owners from damaging their vehicle by making modifications,” said Wolff. “Because it mounts directly to the vehicle, the system reduces device vibration, making it easier to view and use devices.””

Engine and drivetrain and suspension

Under Ranger Super Duty’s sculpted bonnet is Ford’s 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 calibrated for heavy-duty emissions standards. Improved cooling ensures optimum temperature management under load and during sustained off-roading in difficult terrain.

Current figures for that engine are power of  184.0 kW @ 3250 rpm and torque of 600Nm between 1,750 and 2,250 rpm.

However, Ford hasn’t confirmed that these will be the outputs for the Super Duty.

Other features include:

Structural integrity

The frame is thicker, while suspension mounts, box mount brackets and tow bar mounts have been reinforced. This allows Ranger Super Duty to achieve its incredible 4500-kilogram GVM rating.

For enhanced durability, Ranger Super Duty runs stronger front and rear driveshaft while a new heavy-duty rear axle provides enhanced load carrying capacity. The new rear differential is the biggest and strongest to ever be fitted to a production Ranger.

To help spread the load, Ranger Super Duty gets eight-stud wheel hubs with larger bolts.

Ranger Super Duty has been developed with upfitting in mind. The reinforced frame and readily accessible mounting points make it easy to integrate a variety of aftermarket accessories and specialised equipment. This versatility means that Ranger Super Duty arrives ready to work from the factory.

4WD capability Super Duty – ready to go further.

Equipped with Ford’s advanced four-wheel drive system, Ranger Super Duty comes with 4A (Automatic 4WD) as the permanent setting to ensure the vehicle always delivers the maximum amount of torque to provide enhanced traction and control on both high and low grip surfaces and under load.

Ranger Super Duty offers six selectable drive modes (Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Mud/Ruts, Sand and Rock Crawl). These modes tailor a range of vehicle settings, from throttle and transmission response to stability control to aid when driving off-road.

Ranger Super Duty’s two-speed transfer case features larger, stronger components than other Ranger variants for enhanced durability.

To ensure extended off-road range, the manufacturer standardizes a 130-litre long-range fuel tank, while designers create thick steel shielding to protect the tank from damage caused by impact when driving off-road.

Indeed, engineers armour Ranger Super Duty’s underbelly with a series of high-strength steel bash plates. They shield everything from the engine, front differential and transfer case, transmission, and fuel tank.

The vehicle designers elevated the differential, transmission, fuel, and transfer case breathers. Ranger Super Duty would be pushed harder than most off-road vehicles and driven in more extreme locations.

Ranger Super Duty also boasts an improved water wading depth compared to other diesel Ranger variants.

To ensure this truck can manage life in low-range in extreme terrain, engineers upgraded the low-range gearset to match the F-Series Super Duty.

Boasting front and rear locking differentials as standard on all variants, designers set up Ranger Super Duty to perform in the toughest terrain.

The front differential is a modified version of the differential in the Bronco Raptor, updated for enhanced load capacity.

Ranger Super Duty Towing capability

Ranger Super Duty offers:

Being able to tow more than any other factory-built mid-size pickup is just part of the  story.

Starting with a recalibrated integrated trailer brake controller, It also gets Ranger’s Pro-Trailer Backup Assist™ that makes backing up as easy as turning a dial. The latest version uses a yaw rate sensor to help automatically manage trailer angle.

“Using a yaw rate sensor to guide Pro-Trailer Backup Assist™ allows for faster set up and running of the system. Which we felt was important given it’s all about work,” said Dave Burn, chief program engineer, Ford Australia. “Able to store up to 10 trailers and only requiring calibration once per trailer, Pro Trailer Backup Assist™ makes manoeuvring heavy trailers much easier.”

Ranger Super Duty debuts Ford’s Smart Hitch and Onboard Scales on a Ranger.

Smart Hitch helps customers better understand the weight on their vehicle’s tow ball and how to adjust the load in the trailer to ensure optimum load distribution and avoid under or overloading the tow ball.

Sensors mounted in the suspension on all four wheels means that Ford’s Onboard Scales can help customers estimate their payload as they add items to their vehicle, it also allows for customers to specify additional load for inclusion in payload estimation. Customers can monitor the weight being loaded into the load box via the SYNC screen.

Safety Driver assistance

Ranger Super Duty gets:

Ranger Super Duty raises the game for cab chassis buyers with its clever rear driver assistance technology bar. The rear bar packages Ford’s advanced driver assist systems, giving owners the benefits of technologies not previously available on cab-chassis trucks.

Tough tests – Ranger Super Duty

Developing a truck and ensuring it could live a life doing the toughest jobs in the most extreme locations required an extensive durability program.

“We torture test our trucks to earn the name Super Duty,” said Baumbick. “For instance, to make sure it is ready for almost any work environment, we created an even tougher mud pack test to simulate mine work. Ranger Super Duty had to continue working, even with 600 kilograms of mud stuck to the bottom of the truck.”

Some testing was too tough for humans, with autonomous driving robots being used to run 24/7 tests. On Ford Australia’s infamous test track at its You Yangs Proving Ground, Silver Creek. Which simulates driving down a rocky dry riverbed.

“Our Silver Creek and autonomous driving robots were designed and developed in North America. For the testing and development of the original F-Series Super Duty. And have been a part of global Built Ford Tough testing ever since,” said Baumbick.

The truck also ran the usual durability tests including

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